A Guardian Angel
by Fanofeverything101
Summary: When Hal is captured by Pope, Tom and his family go to rescue him, and both find help from an unlikely source. 'This is a rewrite of 5x04 and 5x05, with an added scene in 5x02.'
1. Friend or Foe

**Author's Note** \- So, concerning season 5 episodes 4 and 5, I was a little disappointed about how the show actually went, and decided to write what I had envisioned to happen. I know there are at least three other people who have also written what they think should've happened, but only one other person actually finished the story, which sucks because they were all SO good. I hope they finish it. I own nothing. This chapter actually starts in episode 2 of season 5, not long after Hal collapses, then it skips ahead to episode 4, you will find out why it the scene is there in chapter 2. This story, though different, still has a lot of things in common with the actual episodes.

Please enjoy and review!

 **Chapter 1**

 _ **Friend or Foe**_

Tom stared at his son who was lying down on the stretcher in the infirmary. Anne was just finishing hooking up an IV to his right arm, while Ben and Maggie stood to Tom's left and Matt stood at Tom's right.

"You guys can stop worrying, he's going to be fine. He'll probably be out for a few days, while his blood sugar goes up. But once it does, he'll wake up and then we'll get some food into him." Anne explained, going to her husband, placing her hand on his shoulder. Tom nodded, letting his wife know he heard the information, then went to his son's side, sitting down on the chair the had been placed by the bed. Tom looked down at Hal's face, so pale, dark circles under his eyes like bruises.

"Just like I saw." Tom whispered, but he had forgotten that Ben and Maggie, with their spikes, would be able to hear him.

"What? What do you mean 'just like you saw'? You knew this was going to happen?" Ben asked, causing everyone to look at Tom for an explanation.

"A few hours right after our food was destroyed, I was with Anne in the other room and I turned around, and there was Rebecca, standing in front of the shelves going through the boxes. She turned to me and asked if I had seen Hal's running shoes, that he was going to be late for track." Tom answered.

"He always was losing those." Matt reminded them, with a smile on his face.

"What happened after that?" Anne inquired, remembering Tom freaking out after just staring into space.

"Well, Rebecca turned to me and told me to make sure he eats something before they left, that it was important. Then she asked if I heard her, that people need to eat. Then, for a split second, I saw it again, it was an alien. It, actually almost looked like a skitter," Tom thought out loud before continuing, "then, it turned into Hal. He was staring at me, looking exactly like he does right now, and almost fell. He reached his hand out for me, and called for me. He looked like zombie."

"What is this thing?" Anne asked, the idea of another alien causing something to happen to her husband terrifying her.

"I have no clue." Tom answered, finally looking away from the young man lying on the bed and to the group standing by the foot of the bed who were looking at each other which confused and somewhat fearful expressions.

"If you could describe the alien you saw, I could draw it. Then we could show it to Cochise. Maybe he'll know whatever this thing is." Ben pointed it out.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." The sounds of angry yelling suddenly filled the air, and Ben and Maggie remembered the skitter they had brought with them.

"We better go take care of that." Ben suggested and Maggie nodded. Together they left the room with Tom, promising to return while Matt sat down in the chair by his older brother's side, and waited for him to wake up. Anne came up behind him, placing a motherly kiss on Matt's head and giving Hal's hand a gentle squeeze before going back to her other patients.

 **AN** \- Next chapter will take place near the end of episode 4. Please review!


	2. A Late Warning

**Disclaimer** \- I own nothing. This chapter takes place near the end of episode 4. Enjoy, and please review, I would love to know your thoughts.

 **Chapter 2**

 _ **A Late Warning**_

To say Hal was exhausted, would be an understatement. He was just finally heading to bed after helping unload everything in the vehicles that Weaver and his Dad had brought back. It was already almost midnight and he had been up since dawn. He could already feel the softness of his mattress.

But as he opened the door and entered his bedroom, two arms wrapped around him, one around his neck, hand covering his mouth, and the other around his shoulders, pulling him to the side and out of view. Hal lifted his one arm and elbowed the person holding him in the neck, causing the attacker to loosen his hold and fall back against the dresser so hard that it fell over.

Hal turned to look at his attacker, but he was already getting back up and came straight at the young man. Hal held his arms out to defend himself, but the other man pushed them away and wrapped his hands around Hal's neck and squeezed. Hal's lung started to burn while his head started to throb. He tried to punch him in the face, but his attacker shoved him head first into the mirror, the glass cutting the right side of Hal's face, before Hal fell onto his back.

Hal looked up at the man. At first, all he could see was that the man was white and bald. Then he lifted his head, and Hal looked right into his eyes. _Pope_. And Hal's vision went black.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Tom stood silently as Anne finished telling him what had happened between her, Pope and Anthony. Weaver, Ben, Maggie, and Matt were also in the room, as they discussing their plan to move out to Washington, before Anne came bursting in.

"He didn't hurt you." Tom checked, worried about what Pope was now willing to do in order to get back at him.

Anne shook her head and said, "No, but he was planning on it. He's snapped, Tom. And he's taking anyone who's even mildly annoyed with you, with him."

"I just don't believe Anthony would do that though. Or Pope for that matter. He makes a lot of threats, but he like, never acts on them." Matt declared, refusing to believe that the man he considered a friend, would do such a terrible thing.

"Pope's not the same man that you knew Matt. He's beyond furious, so angry he'll take it out on anyone. He's letting his angry take over and will do whatever he thinks will bring any form of justice." Anne explained. She knew that this would be most difficult for Matt, as he had created a friendship with Pope over the years, and he was still so young, he didn't understand how one terrible event could change someone so drastically.

"What do you think Dad?" Matt asked, hoping his father would tell Matt something differently, but Tom didn't respond. Tom was staring out the window, apparently not hearing Matt's question.

"Dad?" Ben asked, reaching out to grab his father's shoulder. Tom jumped the minute Ben's hand touched him, and he looked around confused.

"You okay, Tom?" Weaver checked, worried about his friend. Tom nodded and looked around the room, as though he was looking for someone.

"Was it another vision, hallucination thing?" Ben asked. Again Tom nodded but didn't say anything.

"What happened?" Maggie's voice chiming into the conversation. But Tom didn't answer, just looked around the room again before answering with a question of his own, "Where's Hal?"

"I think he went to bed." Weaver tried to remember and was about to ask why, as Tom ran past him and out the door. The others followed him. Tom didn't stop running until he ran into his son's bedroom and stared at a message on the wall.

 _ **This is Fair! Come Alone**_

The rest of the Masons, and Maggie and Weaver came into the room and stared at the message in shock, while Weaver took a look around the room.

"Hal put up a fight." Weaver noted, eyeing the dresser lying on the ground.

"Pope took Hal?" Matt asked in disbelief. Anne felt guilt rising into her chest, remembering her exact conversation with the man. _Was this her fault? Was he already planning on to this after he thought he would kill her, or did she put the thought into his head, which was why he let her go?_

"Tom." Weaver called out. Everyone finally turned away from the message on the wall to see what Weaver was looking at. The mirror the used to be hanging on the wall on the other side of the room, was now shattered on the floor, blood covering many shards of glass.

"I'm going after him." Tom declared, and left the room.

"Tom wait! You can't just go!" Weaver yelled catching up to him in the hall, the rest of the group following.

"If I don't what's going to happen to Hal?" Tom asked his friend, stopping and looking Weaver right in the eye before adding, "I have to go. I'm not going to let Hal, or anyone else get hurt because of my problems with Pope."

"We're coming with you." Anne said. Ben, Matt and Maggie nodded in response to Anne's decision.

"No, Pope said - " Tom started but was cut off by Maggie, "He won't know. As long as we stay out of his sight and make no noise, he won't know we're with you. You can't go alone." Tom looked over his family, and relented, knowing they were right.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Hal woke up to Pope's voice saying, "Wakey wakey."

The bag that was on his head was pulled off, and Hal saw that he was in woods, hands tied behind his back and he was alone with Pope who was holding a handgun.

"So you're gonna kill me?" Hal voice croaked. Pope had squeezed his neck so tight he was surprised the he woke up all. Pope bent down so he was somewhat, eye level with Hal, who was sitting on the ground, back pressed up against a tree.

"Don't worry young Mason. You'll get your chance to die for the cause. I could've killed your Daddy, I could've killed him right in front of the entire 2nd Mass, but I didn't and you wanna know why?" Pope asked, pressing the side of the gun against the side of Hal's face.

"It was too easy," Pope answered for him, and added, "Then I thought, _he'd come for you_. And when he does, I'm gonna kill you, then I'm gonna kill your Dad. And that's fair." And stars exploded in Hal's eyes and Pope slammed the gun into Hal's face.

 **Author's Note** \- So as you now know, I put the scene where Tom tells his family about the visions of Rebecca because I wanted them to be with Tom when he got the warning about Hal and when they found out that Pope took him, cause otherwise they wouldn't have found out about Hal, as Tom wouldn't have told them and would've instructed Anne and Weaver to do the same. Chapter 3 will come up soon, some of it will follow what happened in the actual episode but there will be some changes as well, mostly because of Maggie, Ben, Matt and Anne being there. I hope you liked this chapter, and again, please review and tell me your thoughts.


	3. Scavenger Hunt

**Disclaimer** \- I own nothing. This chapter is a little short, but next chapter should hopefully be longer. Enjoy. (PTT, means push-to-talk)

 **Chapter 3**

 _ **Scavenger Hunt**_

The group made their way into the forest, following Tom and Ben who were leading the group as Ben, could easily pick out Pope's footprints with his advanced sight. They walked in silence, in part, not wanted to distract Ben, and also none really having anything else to say. Suddenly, the path that they were taking opened up to a paved road.

"He must've met up with his group. This is where his trail ends." Ben informed them.

"I don't get it." Anne said out loud. It made no sense for Pope to ask Tom to follow him, then make it so that he can't, especially if it is a trap, which they all knew it was.

"Tom!" Maggie called out. The group all turned their heads to a tree that was right at the edge of the road, and Maggie bending down beside it. Maggie looked back at them, stood up, with something in her hands. As she came closer, Tom saw that it was Hal's jacket, and it was wrapped around something. Maggie handed it the Mason father who held it carefully, as though it was a precious object.

Tom unwrapped the old, camo jacket to find a walkie talkie inside. Tom handed the jacket back to Maggie, who put it in her bag, making sure it stayed safe so she could give it back to Hal. Tom pressed down on the PTT button.

"Pope?"

" _I was wondering if you'd find that jacket. I thought I might've hid it too well, or that you'd go in the complete opposite direction. That would've made all this much harder._ " Pope's taunting voice answered.

"Where's Hal?" Tom asked while the rest of the group kept their mouths shut, not wanting to give their presence away.

" _Oh, he's here, but he can't come to the phone unfortunately. But maybe, you could find him and talk to him yourself. I believe we're at a grocery store, next town over._ " With that, the walkie talkie went silent.

"Are we basically going on a scavenger hunt in the hopes that we get there before Pope kills him or you?" Ben asked his Dad as he understood Pope's words.

"It appears so. Let's get moving." Tom replied, and together, they headed off into the night.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Pope put his walkie talkie in his pocket and headed back into the store. The members of his group were filling up bags with all the non-perishable foods they could find. There wasn't much, as people had probably scavenged the store already, but every little bit counted. Anthony looked up when he heard the doors open, and came over to the leader.

"Almost done. What do you want to do next?" Anthony asked.

"Pack up the car, and find a new base. One that's secure, don't want our guest getting too comfortable." Pope answered, then turned and walked out. Anthony watched, feeling a little bad for Hal, knowing whatever Pope had planned for Tom and his son, wasn't gonna be good. But it was what needed to be done, right?

Pope walked over to the back of the car and opened the trunk. Inside, hands cuffed behind his back, and the bag placed back of his head, was the young Mason. When Hal turned his head a little, Pope knew he was fine, that he hadn't suffocated or anything and he shut the door. They needed to get moving, he wanted to be at a new place by sunrise. Only a few more hours left.

 **Author's Note** \- Chapter three complete. Odds are, for writing this story, I'm probably going to write like two pr three chapters at a time, then publish them all at once. So the wait may be longer, but you'll get more out of the deal. Hopefully new chapters will be up soon. Please review, I would love to know your thoughts.


	4. One Wrong and One Right

**Disclaimer** \- Still own nothing. Enjoy this chapter.

 **Chapter 4**

 ** _One Wrong and One Right_**

Hal wasn't sure how much time had passed. He had woken up to find himself in what felt like the trunk of a car that was moving. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and the bag was back over his head.

Not long after he had woken up, he had felt the car jerk to a stop. He heard doors open and close, and the voices of Pope and the people who sided with him, including Anthony. Unable to do anything, Hal stayed still and quiet though it was hard. The cuffs were biting into his wrists, and the dried blood on his face was starting to itch.

Suddenly, Hal heard someone come over and open the trunk. He felt the cold air, which slightly revived him, but then the door was slammed shut over him. Soon the car started moving again, and they didn't stop for what felt like hours.

After what Hal guessed to be about 4 hours, the car stopped again. This time, some of Pope's followers came right over to the trunk opened it. Two pairs of hands grabbed Hal's arms and pulled him out of the trunk and led him away. He tried to stand and walk by himself, but the people leading him were going so fast they might as well have been dragging him.

Soon, Hal realized they had entered a building when he heard a door open and felt wooden flooring beneath his feet. He then heard another door open and he was shoved to the ground. As he started to sit up, two hands grabbed him again and pulled him towards something. Then, the cold metal of a gun barrel was pressed against the back of his neck.

"Don't move." He heard a harsh voice behind him say. Hal did what he was told as he felt the cuff come off his right wrist, then both of his arms were pulled in front of him, the cuff was re-wrapped around his free wrist. He then heard the clanking of a chain link. Someone grabbed the links of the cuffs and pulled his arms forward a little.

After more clinking and clanking, the gun muzzle left his neck, and he heard the people get up. The footsteps grew fainter, and he heard the door slam shut. Hal was alone in the room. Hal struggled against the cuffs, but he realized that the cuffs were wrapped around something, severely limiting his movement. There was no way he was getting out without help.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Tom and the rest of the group finally reached the playground. After traveling the entire night to get to the next town and to the grocery store, they had found no sign of Hal or Pope. They then contacted Pope who gave them another location, and again, Hal wasn't there. The playground was now their third stop. It was probably around noon when they saw the first signs of the playground.

Ben and Maggie, their endurance and strength leagues above everyone else, ran ahead, looking for any clue that Hal was there this time. As Tom, Matt and Anne approached, Ben and Maggie were already coming back, shaking their heads. Hal was not there.

"Pope, are you there?" Tom asked as he lifted the walkie talkie to his mouth, as the rest of the group moved closer to hear.

" _Did you get to the playground?_ " Pope replied back.

"Hal's not here."

" _No he's not. No one's there but you._ "

"Because I have to go through what you went through? Is that it? Hal has to die in front of me the same way Sara died in front of you?" Tom clarified. That finally got a reaction out of their tormentor.

" _DON'T YOU SAY HER NAME! You don't get to say her name! I'll cut his heart out right now if you say that again!_ " Ben opened his mouth to scream at Pope, for even daring to threaten his brother, but Tom immediately covered his mouth with his hand.

"So Hal's still alive?" Tom asked. Pope's silence answered his question. All of the group felt an immense relief, knowing that for the moment, Hal was alive. That Pope hadn't killed him like he had lead them to believe every time he had given them a new location.

"Pope, if Hal's still alive, you can end this. Just let him go. It's not too late to for you." Tom tried to convince Pope. They knew he failed when Pope answered.

" _See, there you go again Mason. Barking out orders, you really have no idea, of how much trouble he's in do you? But when you hear his voice, then you'll see, just how not in control you really are._ "

"Pope." Tom called, trying to stop him from whatever he was planning on doing. Tom looked up at the group. Ben, Maggie, and Anne looked fearful, already having an idea of what Pope meant. Matt on the other hand looked confused, not understanding Pope's words.

All of Tom's thoughts flew from his mind when he heard Hal's voice, telling Pope, " _Go to h*ll a**hole._ "

Tom didn't even register Pope's response. His only thought was relief that his son was still alive. Then, after some shuffling noises, Pope's voice crackled through the walkie talkie.

" _Do you hear this Tom?_ "

"POPE!"

And then Hal screamed. Tom almost dropped the device in his hand. Anne covered her face with her hands, tears slipping for her eyes. Ben felt anger that he had never felt before and ended up turning away from the sound and punched the nearest tree he could find. Maggie felt as though she lost the ability to breathe as she listened to the man she loved scream in pain. Matt meanwhile felt horror wash over him as he realized that Pope, the man he considered his friend, was hurting his older brother.

It felt like an eternity before Hal stopped screaming in pain and it was replaced by Pope's angered voice.

" _STILL NOT TOO LATE FOR ME?!_ "

Tom was bending forward, as though he was about to throw up. When Tom didn't answer, Pope's came from the device again, " _Tom?_ "

Tom stood up straight, and lifted the walkie talkie back to his mouth.

"I'm going to kill you." He declared, though from the looks of his other two sons, and Maggie, it was apparent there would be a line.

" _Take Arbor Street to the Urgent Care Clinic. Call me then._ " And with that, the device went silent. The group picked themselves up and started walking again.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

When Pope had come into the room, Hal could tell there was something different, as Pope pulled off the blindfold. He looked more determined, and Hal honestly thought Pope was about to kill him. He did not expect Pope to come over and pull him against his chest. Hal didn't understand what he was doing until he saw the walkie talkie and Pope asked, "Do you hear this Tom?"

Then Hal saw the knife, and the next thing he knew, the knife was cutting into his arm, blood running everywhere and a scream broke through. He didn't hear the rest of the conversation, instead chose to focus on not screaming anymore, already feeling bad that his father had heard him scream in the first place.

"Anthony, get a med kit, make sure he doesn't bleed out." Pope ordered, as he left the room. Anthony stood in the door, watching Hal try to stop the bleeding. Anthony had watched the whole thing with a mixture of shock, horror and pity, and he didn't know why. Tom Mason deserved this, didn't he? But did Hal actually deserve to pay for what Tom had done?

Anthony did what he was told, and came into the room after finding the med kit. As Anthony started to clean up the wound, he was surprised at Hal's silence. Hal was usually a talker, he never seemed to like complete silence.

"What? Nothing to say?" Anthony asked, feeling as though Hal was judging him with his quietude.

When Hal still didn't answer Anthony spoke again, "Don't judge me just because I'm doing what needs to be done."

"Really? Seems like a petty vengeance trip to me." Hal replied, finally breaking his silence.

"Deni didn't deserve to die! And Tom sent her in that battle!" Anthony's declared, his anger coming back over.

"Did Lexi deserve to die? Did my Mom? Did Ben deserve to get harnessed? You think my family, you think my Dad hasn't suffered at all? Haven't we all suffered enough in this war? Do you really need to cause more?" Hal asked, finally turning his head and looked Anthony in the eye, letting Anthony see for the first time his bloodied and bruised face, the result of Pope's anger.

Anthony finished stitching and wrapping the wound in silence, refusing to think of Hal's questions. Hal didn't say anything else either, he seemed to be too tired to try and convince him of anything at the moment.

As he stood up and headed to the door, Hal called out, "Deni was your best friend. Do you think she would really want you to do this? Cause from my limited amount of time I had getting to know her, all I can see is her being disappointed in you."

Anthony didn't look back, just kept walking and shut the door, not allowing Hal to see the tears welling up in his eyes.

 **AN** – Okay, writing this chapter was trickier to write than I thought it would be, because I didn't really want to change much of what happened at certain parts, except have Maggie's, Ben's, Matt's, and Anne's reaction in it. The plot line will take a different turn going forward, it will be pretty different from what happened in the show. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, next chapter will hopefully be up soon.


	5. A Chance Taken

**Disclaimer** – Still own nothing. Sorry for the wait, I had a busy week, not to mention I had been working on my other Falling Skies story. Here is chapter 5, enjoy.

 **Chapter 5**

 ** _A Chance Taken_**

"How long is Pope going to keep doing this?" Matt wondered wearily. It was almost sunset, they had all been up for over 24 hours.

"Honestly, I have no clue." Tom answered, wishing he could say something to comfort Matt. He was really beginning to wish they had left Matt behind with the 2nd Mass.

Suddenly, they heard a noise coming from the alley on the left side of the road they were walking down. They all pulled up the guns, ready to fire, but did not see any skitters like they thought they would. Instead, they saw on old man being supported by a young girl, and another man holding out a long metal rod to protect themselves.

"You guys look like you've been through h*ll." Tom commented, lowering his gun. Ben, Matt, Anne, and Maggie did the same, quickly coming to the same conclusion.

"Yeah, thanks to a couple of cops." The man holding the rod said.

"Cops?" Tom questioned, feeling a sense of hope begin to fill his chest.

"Couple of guys in a cop car anyways." The man answered.

"What did they look like?" Ben asked, realizing exactly what his father was realizing, that the 'cops' might've been Pope and his gang, as they had stolen the police car from the 2nd Mass.

"Both bald, one white, another black." The man replied.

"Did they have a prisoner with them, young guy, dark hair, early 20's?" Tom asked, taking a few more steps closer to the other group.

The man got a far away look in his eyes, his brow furrowed, then shook his head, "Didn't see anyone like that."

"Where are they?" Tom asked.

"At a bowling alley, just down this road a few miles to the other side of town." The man told them.

"Let's go then." Tom said, looking back at his sons, wife and Maggie.

"Wait, you're going after them?" The man sounded shocked.

"He's got my son. Do you know how to get to Fayetteville?" When the young man nodded, Tom continued, "Our group, the 2nd Mass is there. Ask for a man named Dan Weaver, tell him that Tom Mason sent you. You guys will be safe there." The man nodded, then the two groups went their separate ways.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Hal kept his mouth closed, despite the fact that Pope was now trying to bribe him with a drink of water that he desperately wanted. He wasn't sure exactly how long it had been since he had anything to drink or eat for that matter, but it felt like days. The only way to get it though, was to tell Pope what he wanted to hear, that basically everything wrong in the world was his Dad's fault. When he refused, that was when Pope had dug his fingers right into Hal's stitches.

"Just say it, he's gotten so many people killed." Pope told him. Hal clenched his teeth, biting his tongue to keep from screaming in pain as Pope pushed his fingers in deeper. Hal could feel the stitches tearing.

"SAY THE WORDS HAL!" Pope yelled, giving him a kick to the knee. When Hal did nothing but grunt in pain. Pope lifted his fist and punched him the face, repeatedly.

"Say it, you son of a b***h." Pope ordered, and it was at that point, where Hal yelled back.

"WE'D ALL BE DEAD IF IT WASN'T FOR HIM! If you think you're the victim, and he's the enemy, you've lost your mind!" Pope, without a word, lifted the gun, and pointed it right at Hal's forehead.

Hal, without missing a beat, looked right into his eyes and said, "Fine, do it, coward."

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire filled the air. Pope looked up over to the covered window, then stood up and walked out, without a word.

Hal felt any and all adrenaline that had been built up during that small confrontation leave him immediately, and he slumped against the old game machine he was chained too. He was so tired, and so very thirsty, but he knew he had to get out, cause if he didn't Pope would surely kill him, and his Dad.

So Hal pulled on the chains, albeit, weakly, and the chains still didn't budge. Hal rested his head against the machine, and closed his eyes. He was too tired to try to break free. He didn't open them until he heard footsteps, it was then that he saw, under the desk next to the machine, was an old screwdriver.

As soon as the sound of footsteps grew silent, Hal slowly stretched his leg under the desk and kicked it his way. After much few failed attempts, he managed to get the tool in his hands and started jamming the sharp edge of the screwdriver against the links of the handcuffs.

"Ah!" Hal hissed when the tool hit his left hand. Hal pulled it away to see that the edge had cut his palm and it was now bleeding. Despite the added pain, he continued to try and break the handcuffs.

After a few more tries, one of the links broke, freeing Hal from the chains. Using the machine to support himself, Hal slowly stood up. Once he was standing, he made his way to the door as quietly as he could. He stopped, pressing his ear to the door, trying to determine if there was anyone in the other room. When he heard nothing, Hal slowly opened the door and peaked his head out.

From what Hal could see, there was no one around. Holding the screwdriver, his only weapon, tightly in his right hand, he slowly slid out the door. He stopped when he heard the sound of gunfire, but quickly realized they were coming from outside, especially when he heard the screeching noise of skitters, so he continued his way out of the room and saw he was in an old bowling alley.

Still not seeing anyone else around, Hal fully walked out of the room, doing his best to make sure his back was to the wall so no one could sneak up behind him like Pope had done. He started to head to the side door, which had an emergency exit sign on it, thinking it would probably be the least guarded.

Unfortunately, just as he reached the other side of the room, the front door opened and Anthony came inside.

The two men stared at each other, neither moving. Hal saw that Anthony did have a gun in his hand, but he didn't raise it at all. In fact, Anthony looked like he was about to turn around and leave, but then the door opened again, and Pope entered the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Pope asked, pointing his handgun right at Hal's chest. Hal didn't respond, knowing he was already screwed and not willing to risk making Pope any angrier than he undoubtedly was. Instead, Hal stood up a little straighter, hiding the screwdriver behind him, hoping that he might be able to get the advantage, or at least, not lose his only weapon.

They continued their stare down, neither one of them willing to make the first move. Both were curious to how the other was going to respond. Unexpectedly, it was Anthony who spoke up.

"Pope, look he didn't get away. We'll just tie him back up and put him back in the room. No need to do something you're going to regret." Anthony told the leader, and also took a step towards Hal, but Pope grabbed his arm, stopping him from going any farther.

"He managed to get free already, and we all know he's going to try again. Can't let that happen now, can I?" Pope responded.

Before anyone could even blink, Pope lowered the gun slightly and pulled the trigger. Hal gasped as a sharp pain in his right leg made itself known and it buckled under him.

Hal managed to stay standing though, putting all his weight on his left leg. He bent down a little to see a bloody hole in the middle of his thigh.

As Hal looked back up, he saw Pope, walking towards him. Still holding the tool in his right hand, Hal waited until Pope got close enough before he hit him in the face, the sharp end cutting Pope's cheek. However, Hal lost his balance and fell to the floor with a thud.

Pope quickly recovered from the shock of Hal lashing out, and started kicking Hal in the ribs.

"POPE!" Anthony called out, now completely horrified at the former gang member's actions.

The leader stopped, and gave Anthony a look that made him fear for his life. As quickly as it came though, it left, and Pope looked back down at his prisoner lying on the floor. Hal was in a fetal position, arms around his waist.

Pope bent down and slammed his gun against Hal's temple for the second time in two days, and again, Hal's vision went black.


	6. Unexpected

**Disclaimer** – Still own nothing. So sorry for the long wait. Here is chapter 6. Enjoy.

 **Chapter 6**

 ** _Unexpected_**

Ben peaked his head out from his spot behind the building where he was currently hiding. Once they had found out where Pope and his group might actually be, the family had hightailed it over. After an half an hour though, it was clear that Matt, as well as Tom and Anne were beyond exhausted. So Ben and Maggie, who were just fine due to their spikes, went ahead while the other three took shelter in an abandoned house.

"Looks like that guy was right." Ben stated, seeing the barricade that surrounded the bowling alley. Maggie came over from her spot to get a look.

"How on earth are we going to get in there?" Maggie asked, looking at the walls and the guards standing on top, watching for any sign of trouble.

"We'll figure it out. Come on, Dad, Matt and Anne are waiting for us." Ben told her.

Ben picked up his bag, still holding his gun, and started heading back to the house where his family was waiting, but Maggie didn't move. It didn't take long for Ben to realize that, and he turned around to see her looking at the building, knowing she was struggling not to run over, shoot up the place and get Hal out.

"Maggie?"

"Do you think he's okay?" Maggie asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Hal's tough. I'm sure he's fine." Ben replied, though he sounded like he was trying to reassure himself than her, also fighting the urge to say 'screw it', and run into the building to rescue his brother.

"Come on. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can go get Hal, and kick Pope's a**."

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Hal woke to a world of agony. He didn't think there was any part of his body that didn't hurt. His leg and head seemed to be where the pain was worse though. Suddenly, he felt something, someone touching his leg, right where the source of pain was.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, but it didn't do any good. His vision was blurry, at best. He could see he was back in the room he was kept in before, but wasn't restrained at all, though the manacles of the handcuffs were still on his wrists. Hal tried to lift his head, right at that moment though, he felt something tighten around his leg, and he almost blacked out, letting out a small groan.

"Easy, don't try to move." Hal heard a voice tell him, and he lowered his head back to the ground, but kept his eyes open. He shifted his gaze to his right side to see the blurry form of Anthony kneeling down beside his leg. That was when Hal's memory of what had happened came flooding back.

"How bad is it?" Hal asked, now knowing that Anthony was trying to fix the bullet wound Pope had inflicted. Hal then pushed himself up on his arms, ignoring the painful throb from the gash on his left arm.

"It'll be fine." Anthony said, though his shaky voice told Hal he was lying.

"No, it won't." Hal replied. His head was now pounding, and he laid back down on the hard floor.

"Feel like I'm gonna throw up." Hal revealed.

"Yeah, not surprising. If you didn't have a concussion before, you definitely do now." Anthony said, wrapping a bandage around the leg.

"I'm surprised Pope didn't actually kill me." Hal stated, remembering the look of pure rage and hate in his tormentor's eyes.

"He wants to make your father suffer too much to do that yet." Anthony said as he started wrapping the wound.

"How bad is it, really?" Hal repeated his earlier question. His vision had started to clear enough that he could see the worry fill Anthony's face.

"The bullet is still in your leg. I can't get it out. We need to get you back to the 2nd Mass." Anthony revealed. It was at that moment, the sound of gunfire started going off again.

"More skitters probably." The former police officer stated after moment. Hal stayed still, allowing Anthony to finish wrapping the injury.

Just as the former cop finished tying off the bandages, the door to the room opened, and Tom Mason came inside, holding his gun up and ready to shoot.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

When Ben and Maggie got back from checking out the bowling alley, Tom felt relief at what they had discovered. He finally knew where his son was being held. Tom knew rescuing him though was not going to be easy as he listened to Ben and Maggie explained how guarded the place was.

Tom immediately decided that he would try to sneak in by himself when the sun set, while the rest would distract the members of Pope's group. Anne, Ben, Matt and Maggie all protested this idea, saying it was too dangerous for Tom to go in alone. Tom just reminded them that more people would attract too much attention, and that Pope didn't know that the others were with him, which would surprise him. Tom hardened his argument by telling them that he was already in danger of losing his oldest, he was not going to risk his other two.

The minute Anne, Matt, Maggie and Ben stared to shoot at the camp, Tom snuck through the barricade, completely unnoticed. The distraction was a good one, he had easily gotten to the building, but he had no idea what could be waiting for him inside.

Opening the side door very quietly and slowly, as not to draw attention, Tom entire the alley. The place was a wreck, old furniture thrown around everywhere, paint chipped on the walls, windows half smashed. Tom wondered if maybe the place had been abandoned even before the invasion started, spying a few spots on the wall filled with graffiti.

There weren't that many rooms in the building, and luckily, it appeared that Pope, and all the members of his gang and gone outside when they realized they were being fired at. It was when Tom opened the second door, did he find what he was looking for, though nothing could've prepared him for the image he saw.

Hal, lying flat on the ground, face filthy, a white bandage wrapped around his leg that was being tied up by Anthony, who was sitting on his knees beside Hal. Tom aimed his gun at Anthony, unsure what the man was doing to his son, and unwilling to trust him at the moment. The man lifted his hands up in surrender, and scouted back away from Hal, as if he was trying to tell the Mason father that he wasn't a threat.

"Dad?" The sound of Hal's voice, weak and exhausted, drew all Tom's attention back to his son.

"Hal! Hal, are you okay?" Tom asked frantically, falling down to his knees by Hal's side, completely ignoring Anthony, who sat watching the panicked father reunite with his son.

Tom felt a wave of horror wash over him as realized it wasn't dirt on his son's face. Almost the entire right side of Hal's face was covered in dried blood that had run down from several cuts, and Tom remembered the broken mirror in Hal's room. The other side of his face was covered in bruises.

"Yeah, I'm good." Hal assured him, though Tom knew he was lying. The father turned his gaze away from Hal's face, looking for any other injuries that he could have. He found a white bandage on Hal's left forearm and hand, handcuffs around Hal's wrists, though the link connecting them was broken, as well as bandages on his right leg. Tom looked over at Anthony, who, until now, Tom had ignored, his concern for his son overpowering his anger at the man who threatened his wife and joined with Pope.

"What happened?" Tom demanded to know.

"Pope shot him in the leg, and pistol whipped him." Anthony told the father. Tom lifted his gun back up at Anthony, feeling nothing but anger.

"Dad, don't. Anthony didn't do anything." Hal interceded, his voice slurring a little. Tom looked back over to his son, filled with worry, knowing that a lot more had happened then what Anthony had revealed. Tom wanted to bring up how Anthony put Anne in danger, and apparently stood by and let Pope beat the crap out of Hal, but decided that if Hal was willing to defend him, then there had to be a reason. Tom turned his gaze back to Anthony and saw nothing but guilt and regret.

"Fine, help me get him out of here then." Tom replied, knowing that since Hal could probably barely even walk, then getting him to safety was going to be hard and he would need help.

Anthony nodded and moved to Hal's other side and together they got Hal to his feet.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

As Tom and Anthony got further into the woods surrounding the area, Hal lost any and all energy he had, letting his Dad and Anthony practically drag him. Holding his head up started to feel like holding up a pile of bricks, and the feeling of throwing up came back in full force.

"Dad, stop. Need to, stop." Hal pleaded. At first, Hal wasn't sure if his Dad heard him, he barely even heard his own voice, but then, he felt himself being lowered to the ground, his back pressed up against a tree.

Hal's ears started to ring, and his sight started to blur again. He was pretty sure he was about to pass out, the pounding in his head and throbbing in his leg felt like it was spreading throughout his entire body and he closed his eyes, his exhaustion starting to claim him.

The voices of his Dad and Anthony broke through the ringing of his ears a little, but not enough to really understand what they were saying, except that Anthony was telling Tom something.

"…dehydrated, might… blood loss," Hal managed to hear from Anthony.

"… be better… water." Tom's voice answered. Hal's interest slightly peaked at the word 'water'. He could still feel his stomach cramping, practically begging for a drink, but he was too tired to say or do anything about it.

Something cold, and what felt like metal was pressed against Hal's lips. Hal slowly opened his mouth in response, and immediately felt water running in, from what he now knew to be a water bottle. Hal opened his eyes, seeing his Dad holding the bottle by his lips, and Hal started swallowing as much as he could, the cold water starting to wake him up.

"Easy, you don't want to make yourself sick." Tom said, pulling the bottle away from Hal, who tried to lift his arm to grab it from his Dad, but his muscles didn't respond.

Tom put the bottle back in his bag, then turned back to his son. Tom lifted his hand and slid it under Hal's head. Since it was so dark, Tom couldn't get a very good look at Hal, but he could see how pale he was. Then, Tom saw Anthony pale considerably, and he pulled his gun from his belt, looking at something behind Tom.

It was at that moment, Tom heard the sound of branches breaking, and he grabbed his gun, and turned around to find Pope, standing a little way off, looking straight at Tom, a cut on his cheek, and his gun pointed right at Tom.

 **AN** – That's the end of chapter 6. Hopefully, chapter 7 will be up soon, if it's not, don't worry I will get it done as soon as I can.


	7. Not Alone

**Disclaimer** – Still own nothing, enjoy chapter 7.

 **Chapter 7**

 ** _Not Alone_**

"Why am I not surprised you managed to find us, and get your boy out? Mason family luck I suppose." Pope taunted, waving the gun around with a crazy look in his eyes. Tom shifted in order to be standing right in front of Hal, blocking him from Pope.

"If you value your life at all Pope, I'd recommend turning around and crawling back into the hoe you came from." Tom told him, his gun still pointed at the criminal's chest. Pope could tell from the look in Tom's eyes he was serious, but he didn't care.

"Oh, you think you can get out of this? I have no doubt you could kill me, but can you do it before I kill you? You might've made Anthony help you, but do you think he'd avenge you? Face it, you're all alone."

"Don't bet on it Pope." The man froze at the sound of Ben's voice.

Pope slowly turned around to find not only Ben, but Matt, Maggie, and Anne standing around him, their guns pointed right at him. Tom almost sighed in relief, knowing that even though Pope could still kill him, he wouldn't live to kill Hal, or anyone else. The gang member turned back to Tom and lifted his gun.

 _*BANG*_

Pope fell to the ground, blood running down the back of his head. While Pope was close to firing, Maggie was quicker. When she saw Pope about to shoot, all of her bent up anger from her past with him, and from what he had done to Hal came over her. She was not going to give him the chance to hurt Hal, or anyone else ever again.

Everyone was looking either at Maggie or Pope's body in shock, clearly not expecting Maggie to be the one to pull the trigger. A low groan was the only sound that interrupted the shocked silence, and that was all that everyone needed to hear.

"Hal!" Matt called out, and the four ran over to where Tom, Hal and Anthony were. Tom turned back to his son, Anne coming to kneel down beside him while Matt and Maggie circled to Hal's other side. Ben also came closer, but stayed standing, keeping guard over his family.

Hal slowly reopened his eyes to see that the rest of his family and Maggie had joined him.

"Hey, where did you guys come from?" Hal asked, giving them a smile. He tried to keep his eyes open, but he was so tired.

Anne watched with concern. Looking at all the bruises on the young man's face, it would've been very easy to get a concussion from that.

"Hal, look at me." Anne told me. The doctor noted how slow Hal was to move his head to look at her, how he kept blinking, obviously trying to stay awake. The reactions of his pupils through told her the most, Hal indeed had a concussion, and it was a pretty bad one.

"We should get going. It's not safe here." Ben pointed out, glancing back at the group.

"Hal can't walk without help." Tom revealed. Ben came over to his father and brother, and with Maggie on Hal's other side they lifted him up to his feet.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

As soon as they got back to the house that they were staying at before, they immediately got Hal onto the couch in the main room which had the most light, though it wasn't much since it was almost the middle of the night. When Anne had heard that Hal not only had been shot, but the bullet was still in his leg, she knew she would have to get it out as soon as possible. Hal didn't protest at all and by now, Anne was sure he had passed out, which didn't surprise her one bit, and in fact, believed it was probably for the best as she didn't bring any strong pain killers, or sedatives with her.

Tom sat down on the couch behind his son, and pulled him down so Hal was lying against his chest. Ben lifted Hal's legs so they were lying flat on the couch as well. Anne started to peal the bandages away from Hal's leg so she could get a look at the wound.

"Maggie, go get a bowl and fill it with water. Ben, get some towels. Anthony, Matt, see if you guys can find some flashlights or candles or something to help brighten the room. This bullet needs to come out now." Anne ordered the rest of the group. All but Matt jumped to their feet to do what they were told.

"Wouldn't it be better to wait until we get back to the 2nd Mass? You have more medical supplies there." Matt questioned, a fearful look on his face.

"We can't wait that long. It's going to get infected. We have to get it out now." Anne decided as Maggie, and Ben came back with the bowel of water, towels, and a med kit that Ben had found in the bathroom. Matt got to his feet to find and help Anthony.

After Matt and Anthony came back with some flashlights and candles, Anne started pulling out the few medical supplies that she had brought. She then grabbed one of the towels Ben and brought and slid it under Hal's leg in case of major bleeding, then she looked around the room.

Everyone was surrounding the couch, expect Anthony, who had backed off to give the family more room to be closer to Hal. Anne knew that they didn't want to leave him, but she needed the space and she was fairly certain they wouldn't be able to stand watching her cut into someone they all loved so dearly.

"Matt, Ben, Anthony, why don't you guys go into the kitchen where we put all the food and get something to eat. Maybe even take a nap or something." Anne suggested. She knew Tom wasn't going to leave Hal's side and she wasn't even going to try to force him to. She didn't trust Anthony enough to let him anywhere near Hal, Tom or herself, and there was no way she was going to make Matt or Ben watch her pull a bullet out of their brother's leg. So, that left only Maggie to help her.

"But-" Matt started to protest, but Tom interrupted, "Matt, listen to Anne. All of you, go."

Ben reached down and pulled Matt up gently by his arm, and they left the room with Anthony.

"Okay, sooner we get this done, the better. Maggie, can you light those candles?" Anne requested, slowly pulling off the bandages around Hal's leg. Maggie nodded and went about her task, placing the candles around the room the strategically in order to give Anne the most light she could.

"You do know, that I could make things worse by doing this?" Anne asked, looking up at her husband. Tom's eyes were filled with pain and worry, but he nodded anyways, knowing that Anne was right. They couldn't wait to regroup with the 2nd Mass. If they did, the injury would for sure get infected and Hal would be far worse off.

"Okay, here we go."

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Matt laid his head on the table, using his arms as a pillow. Ben stood by the window, watching for any sign of skitters, or members of Pope's gang who might've followed them. And Anthony sat on a chair by the table across from Matt, staring in silence.

It had felt like forever since they had been kicked out of the living room so Anne could do surgery on Hal, when it was probably only an hour. Since then, they had been waiting in the kitchen for Anne, Maggie or Tom to come out and tell them how Hal was doing.

Ben, though was watching diligently, kept his ears focused on the room beside the kitchen, where his brother was. He had heard Anne giving orders to Maggie about lighting the candles Matt and Anthony had found, and asking Tom if he knew that she could make the injury worse by going in without proper medical equipment.

The last thing he heard was Anne asking Maggie to grab a flashlight and to keep the light on the injury. There were a few noises, but no one was saying anything. When Ben realized that, he chose to instead find Hal's heartbeat, which he found with quite ease. It was still beating, not as strong as it usually was, but it was steady.

Suddenly, Ben heard the shuffling of someone getting to their feet, then footsteps heading towards the kitchen. He turned around to find Anne enter the room, also capturing Matt and Anthony's attention.

"He'll be okay. Luckily, the bullet didn't shatter at all, nor did it hit the bone or anything. It was fairly easy to remove. He has a pretty bad concussion, and a deep gash on his left arm, that had been stitched up. I had to redo it though because they had been ripped open in some places. He's dehydrated and slightly malnourished, but other than that, he'll be okay. He's still asleep, I want to wake him in about an hour to check on his concussion and get him to drink some more water. He's going to be just fine." Anne told them.

"Can we go see him now?" Matt asked, and Anne barely managed to nod before Matt jumped to his feet and ran into the other room. Ben immediately followed at his brother's heels, and Anne was left alone with Anthony.

Anne felt very uncomfortable being alone with the man who had tried to have her killed, but he looked just as uneasy. Anne wasn't sure if she should leave him alone, not sure what his intentions were, but then he looked up at her, his eyes filled with tears.

"He's really going to be okay?" Anthony questioned.

"Yeah, he'll be fine." Anne answered, coming over to the former cop. Anthony lifted his arms onto the table and buried his face in his hands, his entire body shaking.

"Anthony?" Anne called out, sitting down beside him.

"I'm sorry Anne, I'm so sorry." Anthony said through his sobs. Anne slowly lifted her arm and started to rub his back comfortingly.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Matt and Ben came in to find Tom, still holding his oldest securely in his arms. Hal was still asleep, just like Anne had told them. Maggie was on her knees by the head of the couch, washing the blood off the young man's face with a wet cloth.

Quietly, the other two Mason boys came over to the couch and knelt beside the couch and waited for Hal to wake up.

 **AN** – Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 8 will hopefully be up in a few days. See you guys soon!


	8. Wake Me Up When It's All Over

**Disclaimer** – Sorry for the wait, got busy with schoolwork. On a break right now, so hopefully I'll get more chapters done. As usual, I own nothing.

 **Chapter 8**

 ** _Wake Me Up When It's All Over_**

Tom barely slept at all that night. Even though he was holding Hal in his arms, he had this fear that if he took his eyes off his eldest for even a minute, he'd disappear. So, Tom stayed up, watching Hal sleep peacefully.

Not long after Anne told Ben and Matt that she had gotten the bullet out and came back into the room, Anthony also came in and picked the locks on the cuffs that were still on Hal's wrists that Tom had totally ignored. His wrists were badly bruised and had a few cuts from where the metal had dug in. Anne wrapped them, but assured the family that it wasn't that bad, and they would heal fairly quickly.

As the sun came up, light started to flood the previously dark room, letting Tom get a clearer look his son. Without all the dried blood on his face, the cuts didn't look that bad, but the bruises were far worse. They ranged from blue, to purple, to a dark grey, and they practically covered at least two thirds of Hal's face.

"Still asleep?" Tom looked up at Anne who came into the room from the kitchen. Tom nodded, looking back down at his sleeping child. Hal hadn't woken up at all really. Anne had somewhat managed to wake him up three times in the night, and just enough to check his pupils and get some more water into him, but he fell back asleep quickly.

"Don't worry, sleep is a good thing, he needs it." Anne told the father, coming to kneel by the couch.

"Yeah. Where is everyone else?"

"Anthony's asleep in the other room. Matt had woken up when you had finally gotten a little shut eye, though you didn't sleep for long. He's with Ben and Maggie in the garage. They found an SUV in there, they're trying to get it started so we don't have to walk back." Anne informed him before adding, "You should go get some real sleep. I'll watch Hal."

"I'm not leaving him." Hal shifted in his sleep, causing Anne and Tom to stop talking, both wondering if Hal was finally waking up. However, the young man just turned his head into the spot where his father's neck met his shoulder. He made no other movements and no noise.

Tom pressed a kiss to Hal's temple, but felt his worry start to rise again when he caught the look on Anne's face. Her eyes were filled with shock and her skin paled.

"What is it?"

"Umm, I didn't see it last night, but, he's got bruising on his neck, it looks like hand marks." Anne revealed slowly, unsure if she should tell Tom. Anne knew that he was still very worried about Hal and didn't want to make it worse, but she also knew that he'd find the bruises eventually.

Tom could literally feel his blood drain from his face. Wasn't kidnapping his son, shooting him, giving him a concussion and cutting his arm enough for Pope? He had to choke him too?

"It's not that bad." Hal croaked, breaking the silence. Both Anne and Tom nearly jumped, neither of them had noticed that Hal was actually awake.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Tom asked, watching his son start to shift around a little.

"I've been better." Hal answered. He moved to sit up, but then stopped when the ache in his shoulders and ribs made itself known. He let out an involuntary groan and lowered himself back against his father's chest. Tom had loosened his hold on his son when he saw Hal try to sit up, but when Hal came to lie against him again, he re-wrapped his arms around him, holding him close.

"Easy Hal." Anne told him, watching the young man move his uninjured arm to cover his waist, almost protectively. It made her wonder if there were anymore injuries that they didn't know about, so she asked, "Hal, are you hurt anywhere else besides your leg, head and arm?"

Hal was going to lie and say no, not wanting anyone to worry more than they already were. He just needed one glance at Anne's face though to know that she wouldn't believe him and would push until she got her answer.

"My ribs are a little sore." Hal answered the doctor. She moved closer to him, and pulled up his shirt to take a look. Anne tried to hold back a gasp as she saw the black and blue bruises that littered his stomach and rib-cage, but Tom caught it and instinctively tightened his hold on Hal.

Anne quickly determined that though it looked bad, nothing was broken. Since his ribs were still badly bruised though, she decided to wrap them to give them a little more support. Tom helped Hal sit up and held him steady while Anne went about her task. When she finished, instead of lying back down, Hal swung his legs over the side of the couch, his Dad's hand on his shoulder.

"You look like crap, you know that old man?" Hal informed Tom, looking at the dark circles under his eyes and the worry that seemed to be etched into his skin.

"I agree. Tom, you should get some sleep." Anne sided with Hal.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tom asked. Hal nodded and very reluctantly, Tom got off the couch. Instead of going to one of the rooms in the house though, Tom went to the garage to tell his sons and Maggie that Hal was finally awake, he had promised he would earlier.

Hal waited until his father was out of sight before he turned to Anne, "He's really freaked out, isn't he?"

"Of course he is. Your brothers and Maggie are too."

"Wait, what?" Hal asked, causing Anne to look up at him in surprise.

"Hal, what do you all remember from last night?" Anne inquired, knowing that memory loss is a very common effect of a concussion.

"Well, I remember getting shot. Dad and Anthony carrying me into the woods, it all gets blurry after that. I remember you trying to wake me up, and giving me water, but that's about it." Hal answered.

"It's okay, memory loss often occurs when you have a concussion, don't worry about. I'm actually a little surprised you remember that much."

"But, what do you mean about Ben and Matt and Maggie being worried?"

"Well-" Anne was interrupted by the garage door opening and the boys and Maggie running out and coming towards them, Tom coming in last.

"HAL!" Matt called out, managing to stop just before he crashed into the couch and Hal. The oldest Mason smiled at his baby brother before giving his other brother and Maggie the same smile. He was very confused as to why they were there, and where they had come from as he had thought his Dad was alone in rescuing him, but he was glad to see them.

"Hey, what's up?" Hal asked as Matt came to sit down on his knees on the couch, positioning his body to face his brother, and Hal wrapped his good arm around his little brother's shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Matt ignored Hal's questioned.

"Yeah, I'm good buddy."

"You don't really look it." Matt told him, taking in Hal's appearance, while Hal let out a laugh.

"Well I haven't had a chance to look in a mirror lately, but trust me, I'm sure it looks a lot worse than it really is." Hal tried to ease their worry, seeing it in all three pairs of eyes. Slowly, Matt smiled and leaned forward to hug his brother. Hal bit his cheek to stop himself from crying out in pain as Matt squeezed his ribs.

After Matt finally let go, Ben came over his brother and squeezed his shoulder, offering some comfort to his big brother, but he didn't say anything. He couldn't even think of words to say. The entire time they had been trying to find Hal, Ben kept his emotions buried down, knowing that being emotional and panicked wouldn't do Hal any good. Now though, he was just glad that Hal was alive, and safe.

Maggie stood by with a smile on her face. She so badly wanted to push her way over to Hal, pull him into her arms and keep him safe from the rest of the world, but knew that Matt and Ben were just as worried about him as she was, and so she let their reunion with their brother continue uninterrupted.

Tom stood by Maggie, also watching Ben and Matt hug their brother. He had been so focused on finding and rescuing Hal that he somewhat forgot that Ben and Matt had been just as terrified as he was. He waited a few moments before he went over to his sons, joining in on their reunion, while Maggie continued standing back, giving the Mason family their space.

Hal's eyes though immediately found her. Even though Matt, and Anne were talking, he kept his focus on her. Maggie smiled at him, but couldn't hide the pain in her eyes as she looked at his bruised and cut face, his one eye looked so swollen, yet he kept both eyes on her. Hal gave her a reassuring smile back, silently telling her that he was okay before his attention was drawn back to his family.

The oldest Mason brother smiled as Matt started talking about the most random things, probably trying take his attention off the current situation, which Hal didn't mind one bit. He was just fine with not thinking about what happened when Pope kidnapped him and was grateful that his family seemed to understand that. So, Hal played along, relieved that it was all over with Pope.

 **AN** \- Two, possibly three more chapters left and this story is finished.


	9. Not Broken, Just Bent

**Disclaimer** – Still own nothing. Enjoy chapter 9.

 **Chapter 9**

 ** _Not Broken, Just Bent_**

 _Hal tried to move, but the handcuffs and chain wouldn't let him. He pulled with all his might, the metal cutting into his skin, but he couldn't get away. The door to the room slammed open, and Pope came in, gun in hand._

 _He pulled harder on his restraints, trying to put some distance between him and his captor, but it was no use. Pope came over, and grabbed his neck with his free hand and started to squeeze, not tight enough to kill him, or even make him pass out, but it was enough to hurt. Slowly, with a crazy, Joker-like grin, he lifted his gun to Hal's head, and –_

Hal awoke with a gasp, looking around with mild panic, realizing that it was a dream. He wasn't a captive anymore, he was safe with his family, and according to them, Pope was dead. Hal slowly sat up on the couch and looked around. Besides Matt sleeping on the sofa across the room, Hal was alone. He heard movement coming from the kitchen, and his grumbling stomach persuaded him to investigate.

When he had first woken up, after his brothers and Maggie came to see him, Anne gave him some more water and some food. After the first bite, his hunger became worse and he wanted to scarf it all down, but Anne reminded him to eat slowly, so he wouldn't make himself sick. Hal remembered all too well what happened a few weeks ago, when his starvation caused him to collapse.

Now, his hunger and thirst was back. As quietly as he could, not wanting to wake up his baby brother, Hal slowly swung his legs over the side of the couch, looking at his wounded thigh.

He had only got up off the couch once so far, and that was to go to the bathroom. He tried to walk by himself and almost fell, but Ben caught him, and helped him to the door. Hal took it from there. He loved his brother and appreciated his help, but there was no way that Hal was ever going to be okay with anyone helping in the bathroom. When he was done, he opened the door and Ben was right there, ready to help him back to the couch.

Despite not having anyone around to help this time, and not willing to call for help, Hal slowly stood up, keeping all the pressure on his good leg. Very carefully, Hal walked out of the room and into the kitchen, only to be immediately confronted by Maggie.

"Hal, what on earth are you doing walking around on that leg?" Maggie asked, coming over to him, lifting his arm and wrapping it around her shoulder. Hal let her lead him over to the table and he sat down on the nearest chair. The short walk from the couch to the kitchen left him more tired than he thought it would.

"I woke up, heard someone was in here, and my stomach made its requests known." Hal answered as he put his arms on the table and laid his head on them. Maggie watched him for a minute, making sure he wasn't going to pass out or fall off the chair before heading for the counter where they had put their food and water.

She grabbed a bottle of water, and a power bar, and headed back to the table. She placed the water and food right in front of Hal and sat down beside him.

As she did this, Hal looked around, realizing it was just the two of them.

"Where is everyone?" Hal asked as he lifted his head and grabbed the bottle, taking a long gulp, before putting it back on the table.

"Anne's asleep in the bedroom, and Ben, Tom and Anthony went to check the other houses for gas for the vehicle we found so we can get out of here. How are you feeling?" Maggie asked, watching him with a straight face, but Hal could tell that she was worried.

"I'm fine, a little tired but I'm good." Hal told her, reaching for the power bar, but Maggie placed her hand on top of his and griped it tightly. Hal looked over at her in surprise and confusion.

"You know you don't have to pretend with me." She told him.

"I know, but I'm fine, okay?" Hal responded. Maggie didn't say anything for a moment, and she didn't let go of his hand.

"So, that wasn't you tossing and turning on the couch, and you didn't wake up gasping?" Maggie questioned with a knowing look in her eyes.

"It was nothing, okay? I'm fine." Hal tried to persuade her, though he didn't know why. Maggie could see right through him, could tell what he was thinking and what he was feeling, it was just a question of if she would confront him on it or not. From the look in her eyes, she was not going to let him push her away.

"Hal, you were kidnapped, beaten up and threatened. No one would blame you if you show how freaked out you are."

"I'm not freaked out."

"Hal, we heard you scream over the walkie talkie." Maggie revealed. Hal couldn't hide his shock and fear when he heard that. Ever since he had woken up and found out that not only had his Dad and Anne come to rescue him, but his little brothers and Maggie did too, he was scared to know if they had also heard him scream.

Hal lowered his head, finally looking away from Maggie. He pulled his hand out of her grip, and brought it to his other hand, clasping them together on the table, staring at them instead of Maggie's face.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that." Hal told her, his voice quiet and full of regret.

Maggie instantly regretted telling him. Seeing the sudden look of fear, and shock on his face, as well as the sound of his voice made her realize what she just confirmed to him. Pope may have cut him with the purpose of Tom hearing Hal scream, but she knew that Hal was probably already feeling bad that his Dad heard it, and now knowing that she, his brothers, and Anne heard it too would make it worse. That much was obvious when she felt him pull his hand out of his, and turned his gaze away.

"Hal, I saw how deep that cut was, I watched Anne stitch it up. I know that you didn't want us to hear you scream, but that cut, that deep, would've made anyone scream. I also watched Anne pull a bullet out of your leg, and I can see all the bruises on your face and neck. I know this entire thing messed you up, it's okay to admit that." Maggie tried to reassure him, placing her hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Okay, I'm stopping now. You gonna eat that?" She had to back off. She knew that if she kept pushing, Hal would just close himself off further.

The young man turned to look at her, as if he was trying to see if she was actually going to stop pressuring him. When he realized that she was going to stop, he turned back to the water and food on the table before grabbing the power bar and started to eat it.

Maggie could tell that he was eating it slowly, like Anne had told him, but was actually wanting to just scarf the whole thing done his throat. It made her wish that Pope was alive just so she could kill him again for hurting the man in front of her, the only good thing that had happened to her in years, the man that was good and pure. He didn't deserve any of this.

Hal finished the power bar, then reached for the water and drank it all in one gulp. He put the bottle back down on the table, and a yawn broke through his lips.

"Come on soldier, back to bed with you." Maggie said, and helped Hal get to his feet and back over to the couch. Hal laid down on the couch quietly, not wanting to wake Matt who was still fast asleep.

"Are you cold?" Maggie asked, when she saw Hal start to shiver slightly.

"A little." Hal answered, hoping that if he was honest with her about the small stuff, she would continue to back off about knowing the deeper stuff.

"I'll be right back." She told him and headed back to the kitchen returning seconds later with her bag. Maggie zipped it open, reached inside and pulled out what Hal recognized to be his camo jacket.

"Figured you'd want this back." The woman explained, handing the coat to the young man on the couch. Hal smiled and slid it on.

"Thanks." The jacket did help make Hal feel a little warmer, but he was still very cold, and Maggie quickly realized that.

"I'll go get you a blanket." Maggie didn't wait for a response before she headed down the hall off to the side. She easily found a closet that was filled with spare blankets and sheets. After picking the thickest one, she went back to the living room.

Hal was lying down on his left side, keeping his injured leg free of pressure, his eyes closed. Maggie approached quietly, lying the blanket over top of him. She had thought Hal was asleep, but was proven wrong when she felt his hand wrap around her wrist. Maggie looked down and saw his beautiful brown eyes locked on her. She smiled and crouched down.

"Can you do something for me?" Hal asked, his voice quiet.

"Anything." The blonde answered, her voice equally as quiet.

"I, um. In case I have another, uh, another nightmare, I don't want to risk waking up Matt. Could you, if it looks like I'm having one, could you wake me up?" Hal asked, looking slightly embarrassed of his request. Maggie smiled and nodded, sitting down on her knees.

"I can do that. Go to sleep now, you're safe." She told him, then pressed a kiss on his forehead, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"You're safe now."

 **AN** – And another chapter done. I am planning on only one more chapter left in this story, but there is a possibility of two. Please review, I would love to know your guys' thoughts. I will be starting another story that is going to be filled with missing scenes from Falling Skies episodes, so if there are any episodes' you guys wished had a certain scene, scenes or just have a scene expanded, let me know and I will write one. See you guys soon.


	10. My Family's Keeper

**Chapter 10**

 ** _My Family's Keeper_**

Maggie wasn't sure how long she stayed beside Hal. He had fallen asleep pretty quickly, and so far, slept peacefully, but Maggie stayed in her spot. She didn't take her eyes off him, until she heard the front door open.

She turned her head to look, and wrapped her hand around the gun she had hidden in her coat. When Maggie saw that it was only Tom, Ben, and Anthony, she let go of the gun and turned back to Hal.

Tom entered the room as quietly as he could when he saw Hal was sleeping. Maggie was sitting on the floor beside him, holding his hand in both of hers. The father came and sat down beside her. She didn't even look over at him, instead, she kept her eyes on the young man lying on the couch.

"How's he doing?" Tom asked.

"Okay, given the circumstances. He woke up from a nightmare a few hours ago, but has been sleeping soundly so far." Maggie answered, still watching Hal.

"Did he eat or drink anything?"

"Yeah, he had a power bar and some water." Tom placed his hand on her shoulder, hoping that she would look at him, but no, she kept her gaze on his son. He wondered what exactly happened while he was gone.

"We got enough gas to get to Fayetteville. We're leaving as soon as we get the vehicle packed up. We could use your help." At that, Maggie finally turned her gaze to Tom. She looked back at Hal, then nodded. She stood up and left the room.

Tom moved to where Maggie was previously sitting. He lifted his hand and placed it on his son's shoulder, gently shaking him. Hal immediately opened his eyes and looked all around the room before his found Tom.

"What time is it." Hal asked, his voice groggy with sleep.

"Around 6 in the morning. We're getting ready to head out, back to the 2nd Mass." Tom told him. Hal nodded and pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Sounds good." Hal responded. Tom gave Hal's shoulder a slight squeeze before crossing the room to wake up Matt.

As soon as his youngest was awake, Tom left the room to go wake up Anne while Matt came over and sat down beside Hal.

"Hey buddy. Sleep okay?" Hal asked.

"Yeah, are you feeling better?" Matt turned the attention back to his brother.

"Yeah, I'm doing good." The older brother answered, giving the younger a smile. Matt tried to smile back, but couldn't. All he could see was the bruises and cuts that marked his big brother's face and neck, knowing that it was a man he considered to be a friend who hurt his brother.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Hal questioned, seeing Matt's face fall. Matt turned his head down to look at his lap.

"I'm sorry." Matt apologized, keeping his eyes down and away from Hal.

"For what? You didn't do anything."

"Pope was my friend. I didn't want to think he was capable of doing, all this. I thought he was a good guy, but I was wrong." Matt felt Hal's hand come under his chin, gently pulling his head so Hal could look at him. Hal's eyes were soft and compassionate. There was no anger like Matt had been fearing.

"Matt, never, ever, apologize for wanting to see the best in people. That's a great quality to have. Sometimes, those people will disappoint you, but don't ever lose that. This is not your fault, okay?" Matt nodded, then leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Hal's waist tightly. Hal again bit his cheek to stop himself from groaning in pain, and wrapped his arms around his little brother.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Maggie, Anthony, and Ben worked in silence, completely focused on their task of packing the vehicle. Anthony kept his head down, almost in shame. _You should be ashamed,_ Ben thought angrily to himself, shooting Anthony a glare, though he didn't see it. Maggie, however, did.

She could feel Ben's anger at Anthony through the spikes. She couldn't say that she wasn't angry either, but Pope was the one who hurt Hal, not Anthony. True, he did help the criminal, but he did also help Hal and Tom. And Maggie could see how easy would be to feel lost after the death of someone close to you, and to be manipulated when dealing with that grief and PTSD. Ben though, was obviously too angry to see that.

"I'm going to let Tom know that we're ready to go." Maggie told them and left the garage, leaving the guys alone. Anthony turned to look at Ben.

"Ben, listen-"

"Anthony, just stop. I'm this close to shoving you to the ground and kicking the crap out of you. Deni was my friend too you know, and her death hurt me too, but she volunteered to fight, just like we all did. Her death wasn't my Dad's fault, and it sure as h*ll wasn't Hal's fault either." Ben explained to him, barely holding in his anger. Anthony could actually see Ben's clenched fist shake a little, as though he was imagining punching him in the face.

"I know. And I am sorry. I know that no matter how many times I say it, it will never change what I did. But please know that I am truly sorry." Anthony told him, his eyes filling with tears.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I trust you, especially not around my family. Dad said you can come back with us, but that doesn't mean we trust you, or that I'm going to forgive, at least not yet."

"I get that." Anthony replied.

"Good."

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

When they got back to Fayetteville, the entire 2nd Mass gathered to welcome them, Weaver leading the crowd.

"Welcome back," Weaver said to Tom, clapping him on the shoulder as Tom got out of the car, "How's Hal?"

"He'll be fine. Still, I'd like to get him to the infirmary, just to be on the safe side." Anne answered, stepping out of the SUV herself before heading to the other door on her side which Hal was getting out of, with Ben and Maggie's help. Matt climbed out right behind his big brother. It was Anthony though, that really captured Weaver's attention when he got out of the vehicle.

"It's a long story," Tom said to Weaver's questioning expression before asking, "What all happened while we were gone?"

"Another long story," Weaver replied, remembering the ambushed and Marty, "We found something here though that you need to see."

Tom turned to look at his oldest son, still standing by the car, arm thrown around Ben's shoulder, and Ben's arm wrapped around Hal's waist supporting him. Hal quickly caught the look on his Dad's face.

"I'm fine Dad, go ahead." Hal told him. Tom looked very reluctant to leave his son, but when he saw Hal surrounded by his brothers, Anne and Maggie standing by him, he followed Weaver into the building while the rest of the group headed to the infirmary.

Hal sat down on the nearest cot he could find in the infirmary. Despite having Ben's help, and it only being a short walk away from why they got out of the SUV, he felt like he had run a marathon with the way his injured leg throbbed. Anne quickly put an IV in his right hand to give him some antibiotics, just to be on the safe ide, and apparently, he was still too dehydrated and malnourished for his stepmom's liking.

The minute Matt heard that, he jumped off the bed where he'd been sitting beside Hal, and went to get his brother some food. Maggie decided to go with him, while Anne left to talk privately with Anthony about his PTSD and whether or not if he was going to stay with the 2nd Mass.

Hal and Ben were left alone in the room, Ben glaring at the door that Anthony just exited through.

"You look like Superman trying to use his laser eyes." Hal half-heartedly joked. Ben turned around to look at him.

"You can't seriously tell me you're okay with him being here, that you actually forgive him."

"No, I can't. But I do know what it's like to lose someone when you feel like you, or someone else could've prevented it," Karen's face came to Hal's mind, "Then to have something else that made you feel useful taken away," Hal paused, remembering what he had felt back when he was paralyzed, "It's enough to make you crazy. Not to mention, easy to be manipulated. I'm not saying I trust him, but I do understand what he was probably feeling. But if it were you, or Matt, or Dad that Pope took, I'd probably be just as mad as you are right now."

"I feel like it should've been me. I always thought that if Pope was gonna go nuts, he'd take it out on either Dad, or me, because of my spikes." Ben informed Hal.

"I'm glad it wasn't you, or Dad. I'd rather it have been me kidnapped than any of you." Hal told him.

"I know, but I hate that it happened to you." Ben replied, sitting down beside his brother on the bed.

"Well, it's over now. I'm okay, and Pope's dead. Let's just, leave it at that." Ben could see that Hal was already starting to bury any memories of what happened, and his feelings about it, which didn't surprise him.

As Ben had gotten older, he realized that Hal always did that, and probably always would. It was in his nature, just like their mother. Ben was still amazed that their Mom had somehow, in the form of an alien, still managed to reach out and keep an eye on her oldest son. She always did, because Hal would never really take care of himself, he put everybody else first, and ignored his own emotions.

"I'm glad you're okay." Ben broke the silence, and wrapped his arms gently around Hal, careful not to hurt him. Hal thought he was doing a good job of hiding that he was fine, but he knew there was more damage than what was visible, had seen him cringed when Matt hugged him. Hal returned the hug whole heartedly, and held his brother close, grateful that Ben somehow seemed to be aware of his bruised ribs.

As Ben hugged his brother, he made a silent promise to himself, that he would never let anyone hurt Hal, or any one of his family members again. He had hurt Hal far too much recently and hated himself for it. He wasn't going to let anyone else do, his brother had been through too much, and needed someone to look out for him, especially since he wasn't going to do it himself.

 **FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS**

Matt and Maggie quickly found where the 2nd Mass had set up the food table, and grabbed enough for Hal and themselves. As they started heading back to the infirmary, Maggie saw Cochise coming out of the building that Tom and Weaver had entered earlier.

"Hey Matt? I just need to go talk to Cochise for a moment. You go on ahead, I'll be right there." Maggie told him. She didn't wait for a response, and headed straight for the Volm. Matt watched her approach the alien before turning away and continued his way back to his brothers.

"Hello Maggie. Is there something I can do for you?" Cochise asked. He had felt someone touch his arm and turned around to see her right behind him.

"As a matter of fact, there is. I was wondering if you could take my spikes out."

 **AN** – And that is the end of the story. It goes right back into the plot of the show. I have decided to end it here. If you guys want me to continue, I will, but keep in mind, I will be starting another story that is filled with missing scenes from episodes in all seasons. Thanks so much for reading, and for reviewing, I hope you enjoyed the story and I will start my next story soon. Bye for now.


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